Beauty School Dropout
by QueenOftheEggs
Summary: Kagome and her friends work at one of the most dysfuncial beauty salons ever. But a rival salon shows up it could put them all out of buisness. Can the Shikon Salon prevail? (AU and Canon Pairings)
1. Stressful Morning

A/N: Well...my first Inuyasha story. To be upfront I will let you know that I do not tell what the pairings are beforehand. I think that ruins the story. Oh and yeah I haven't quite decided what's going to happen with some of them...heh heh heh. To clear a few things up this will be a comedy (I hope!) romance. Hopefully not too much OOCness. But since I have never actually witnessed an episode with Bankotsu or Jakotsu I might be a little off. Apologies for that. But come on, hairdressing story...you need some gay guys!

Anyway, this idea came to me quite some time ago. I've just been trying to get some chapters done beforehand so that you don't have to wait long periods of time for updates.

Anyway, I do not have a beta so if you do see many mistakes please feel free to roll your eyes. Enough of my mindless drabble...here's what you came for...enjoy!

* * *

_Beep...Beep...Beep...**CRASH**_

A small fist slammed the offending alarm clock a little harder than necessary. The abused appliance was lying on the ground, its batteries scattered to various places on the tan carpet.

"Well, I guess that's one way to turn the alarm off." A feminine voice muttered from underneath a blue, musty blanket. The woman peeked out from underneath her blanket, blinking her eyes slowly and attempting the rub the sleep out of them.

She groaned slightly and began sitting up. Eventually she made her way to a sitting position. The sofa that she was using as a bed was fairly worn, so when she had her full weight concentrated on one area the pillows beneath her began to sink. She sat still for a few moments, allowing herself to fall, but before she sunk much further, she forced herself to get up.

She stretched for a good couple of minutes, and then bent over to find the lost batteries. After finding the final one lying next to a dirty bowl, she shoved it into its proper slot and checked the time. The digital numbers shone that it was 6:30.

Sighing, the woman put down the clock on an end table next to her sofa. Not bothering to pick up the various dirty dishes, trash, and clothes lying all over the rug, she made her way to the bathroom. To say that it was cramped would be a bit generous. The woman could barely take two steps without bumping into the opposite wall. The grimy floor was cold and the woman couldn't help but shiver as she stepped onto it. Random stains coated the (probably) once white linoleum.

Her shower hadn't worked for the past week, so she settled for rubbing cold water from the sink on her face. She also grabbed a face towel hanging on the door knob and soaked it with the unbelievable icy water. Squeezing some hand soap onto the green material, she hesitated for a moment before forcing herself to touch her skin with the cold cloth. She did her best to clean herself, hoping that she didn't smell too raunchy.

As soon as she was done, she quickly scavenged her small apartment for clothes that didn't appear dirty. Eventually she settled for something that she wore three days ago. But she figured that no one would notice.

Ignoring the protests from her empty stomach, the woman left her apartment and descended three flights of stairs. She fished her car keys out of her pocket and walked behind the brick building to a parking lot. Walking at a fairly quick pace she suddenly stopped in front of a shiny, beautiful red convertible.

"Yeah, in your _dreams_ Kagome." And she walked to the car next to it, a beat up station wagon. When she put the key into the ignition it stalled twice, before Kagome cursed and tried a third time. With a sputter the engine pathetically stirred to life, and she was off to work.

* * *

Hunched over a huge desk sat an old woman. The desk was very neat and orderly, not a pencil or paper out of place. There was barely a speck of dust coating the wooden surface. On the top of the desk were a holder for business cards and a nameplate. The nameplate read: Kaede, and the business cards had in scripted pink ink;

**Shikon Salon**  
_Hair, Nail, and Facial Specialists_

In front of the old woman, the only thing cluttering her otherwise clear desk was a large appointment book. It was filled with messy handwriting, scribbled things in almost every available box. Everything was written in pencil however, since there tended to be an enormous number of changes, cancellations, and last minute calls from clients, demanding to be seen.

Kaede squinted her one good eye, the other one being glass, at a figure standing in front of the salon's entrance. Immediately she recognized her as one of the manicurists at her salon, Sango. What gave her away were her high pony tail and the fact that she was smoking a cigarette. Kaede often wondered how the manicurist could smoke so many packs, yet still be able to teach an intense defensive class at night. Yet no matter how much smoke or tar she forced into her lungs, nothing prevented her from being able to demonstrate to a young woman how to successful fend off lechers and attackers.

Sango finished her cigarette slowly, enjoying every last puff until finally she reached its end and was forced to stomp it out with one of her giant boots. After making sure that it was completely put out, she opened one of the glass doors to the salon's entrance, and made her way to Kaede's desk.

"Morning Kaede." The younger woman greeted her boss.

"Good morning Sango," Kaede replied, not in an overly cheerful way.

"So what's my schedule for today?" Sango tried peeking over the desk's top to see the notebook. Kaede just grunted, and started searching for her name in the book.

"Hm...Sango, you're working from 8:30 until 3:45."

"Anytime for a lunch break?"

"At 12:00, but only until 12:15."

"Okay."

Sango walked away from Kaede and made her way out of the waiting area. She walked past some hairstyling chairs, sinks, and eventually to her manicure desk. It was ordinary, there were hand lotions, a heating lamp, and different shades of nail polish. Deciding that she had plenty of time before she had to work, Sango fished around in her purse for a granola bar.

"Mmm...strawberry..."

* * *

Kaede barely heard the door open a short while later as a tall, silver haired man entered the Shikon Salon. When Kaede looked up, the man gave her a slight nod.

Graceful as a ballerina, the man seemed to glide as he made his way towards the elder woman's desk. Without speaking he lifted one of his well groomed nails, and reached over to where the notebook in front of Kaede lay. He twisted it towards him and began scanning the page to check his schedule. After about a moment, he sharply inhaled, and raised his eyes to meet Kaede's.

"What is this?"

"You're scheduled with Sara at 2:35." Kaede remarked indifferently.

"I specifically said that I never wanted to be near that woman ever again."

"And is it not Shikon Salon policy that we will accept anyone at anytime, to the best of our ability?"

"Perhaps I should find work elsewhere." The man commented.

"Sesshomaru, if you are that adverse to the idea of cutting a woman's hair then I suggest you do find work elsewhere."

"That is not that point. She attempted to murder my brother to prove her love to me."

"Your first client arrives in a half hour, I suggest you head towards your chair."  
Sesshomaru didn't argue, and kept his expression blank. Turning on his heel he headed towards the rows of styling chairs until he reached his own. Ignoring Sango, who was seated several feet away from him, he began methodically placing various scissors, brushes, and other styling tools about the counter next to his chair. Kaede simply watched him, disinterested. And within a few minutes, she was back to scribbling in the notebook.

* * *

"I can't believe this!" The red head swore loudly as she got out of her car and slammed the door behind her. She was still fuming as she practically threw her cell phone into her purse, and made her way to the front entrance of a coffee shop. The line was out the door and she knew she was already late for work. Knowing that she had to do something, the red head whistled loudly and tried to get everyone's attention. When that didn't work she screamed at the top of her lungs,

"Hey! There's cocaine in the sugar packets! Somebody get the cops!"

Satisfied with herself, the woman waited for the place to empty out, allowing her to go purchase her coffee and get out as quickly as possible. Though, instead of the shop emptying out, more people began rushing in, snatching as many packets as they could find. She cursed as she turned around to find herself surrounded by people clawing, ripping, and tearing at each other to get to the sugar. Without warning someone knocked into her, causing her to crash to the ground. Remembering what she had done when she had fallen at her first mosh pit, the red head got into a fetal position, doing her best to protect her head.

Deciding that if she was going down, someone was going with her, she grabbed the first ankle she could find, and tugged it was hard as she could. Instead of simply falling, the man ended up crashing into the teenagers in front of him, causing a complete domino effect. Like a fallen solider, the woman crawled her way to the coffee counter, hoping, praying, that she would make it to the end. When she finally managed to grab hold of the wooden edge, and clamber to her feet, she took a huge gasp of air and said,

"Large hazelnut...extra cocaine, no cream."

After the frightened looking girl behind the counter handed the red head her coffee, she did her best to fight her way out of the overpopulated shop. But when she finally managed to reach the exit, she dropped the coffee she had spent so much time trying to attain.

"SHIT! NO!" Her car was gone. The spot was completely empty. It was then that she noticed the 'No Parking Anytime' sign a few inches away from where her car had once sat.

"What else can go wrong?!" The pissed off red headed asked to a group of pigeons standing nearby. They looked at her for a moment, before going back to pecking at the sidewalk. As if on cue, her cell phone began to play its overly cheery tune. Practically slamming her purse onto the ground after she grabbed the phone she screamed,

"What?!"

"Late again, Ayame?"

"Sort of. Sorry Kaede, I'll be there in less than a half hour."

"Should I tell Tsubaki to reschedule?"

"No I can definitely make it in half an hour."

"Good." Kaede hung up and Ayame let loose even more colorful language. A passing mother was walking her child and immediately slammed her hands over her son's ears as they passed.

"How am I going to make it in a half hour, with these shoes?" Ayame looked down at her red heels, and her short red skirt.

"Wonderful, and to top it all off, I get Tsubaki...the only woman over 60 who demands facials, even though she could pass for 20."

Ayame sighed and took a deep breath. And then she was sprinting the three miles to the Shikon Salon, hoping she wouldn't sprain her ankle.

* * *

Driving a bus full of cranky elderly people was tedious enough, but sitting in standstill traffic for half of an hour was enough to make anyone suicidal. And that's exactly how Kouga, the bus driver with a pony tail felt.

His long hair refused to cooperate, and strands were falling into his eyes. Angrily, he would brush them away, and grumble a string of curses. All the while, he gripped the steering wheel with such ferocity that his knuckles were pure white.

"Are we there yet sonny?" An ancient man questioned Kouga.

"For the last time, no...we haven't arrived yet. Please stay in your seats and shut up." Putting the microphone down, Kouga returned his full attention back to staring at the line of cars ahead of him.

"Are we there yet now?" A woman piped from the back.

"No...we are not." Kouga tried to remain calm. Doing his best to stifle the guttural growl threatening to erupt from his throat.

"I have to go to the bathroom."

Kouga decided it would be best to just ignore the old people, maybe if he concentrated on the license plate ahead of him long enough, they'd all go away.

"Ow! He punched me!" One of the men shouted.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Shut up!" Trying to keep himself in control, Kouga gripped the steering wheel even harder.

"Make him stop hitting me!"

"You started it!

"No you started it."

"I'll finish it!" Kouga decided mentally that if he was forced to turn around, someone on this bus was going to die.

"Ew! Somebody farted!"

"Whoever smelt it dealt it!"

"Whoever said the rhyme committed the crime."

Deciding that enough was enough; Kouga shook his head and began banging his head against the dashboard. If he was in a coma he wouldn't be subject to this torture, right?

After a few minutes of steadily hitting his head with no luck, Kouga stood up, pulled a lever, and walked through the opened bus door. He had to escape the noise, the constant chatter of those people. Being unemployed was better than dealing with the never ending volley of complaints and questions launched in his direction. He'd rather live in a cardboard box than be forced to hear what latest arthritis medication was working best, or how many doctors recommended that people over 50 should pee 4 times a day. It was enough to drive any person mad. Kouga had finally made up his mind, he was quitting for good.

Mulling what his next plan of action should be, Kouga failed to see the red head racing towards him. She was looking at her watch as she sprinted, unable to notice the approaching man. Before either of them saw that they were about to hit each other, it was too late. There was a loud crash and the two bodies collided, and fell onto solid pavement.

"Watch where you're going!" The fiery redhead shouted.

Kouga shook his head and stood up quickly. About to scream right back, he took

a deep breath before doing a double take.

"Ayame?"

"What?" She was too concerned picking up her purse and readjusting her belt to look up and notice who she had just run into. Luckily for Kouga she was in too much of a hurry to distinguish that her ex boyfriend was speaking to her.

"It's me-"

"Whatever I'm late." And before Kouga could identify himself, she took off again, racing at full speed.

The man scratched his head and started walking again, a bit more slowly than he had been previous to bumping into his ex.

"Why didn't she recognize me?" He wondered aloud. Shrugging, he decided to not allow himself to dwell on his run in with the woman, and made his way towards the sidewalk.

* * *

(Well that's all folks! P.S. Still not sure whether to give this an R or a PG-13 Rating chews lip thoughtfully...If I do decide that it needs an R rating it will be for swearing and suggestive scenes...but no lemons, I promise!) 


	2. Lovely Lavender and Jakotsu's News

A/N: I really don't know what else to say...except...here's the next chapter! YAY!

Tsubaki impatiently tapped her fingers against the leather armrest of the chair she was sitting in. Sighing, she checked her watch. Unhappy with the time she crossed her arms and sniffed, turning towards Kaede's desk.

"Will I still be alive by the time Ayame shows up?" Tsubaki impatiently asked.

Kaede felt like replying with a rude comment, but decided not to. Arguing wouldn't improve the situation.

"She's on her way," came the nonchalant answer.

Tsubaki said nothing, allowing a small frown to develop on her usually clear face. She always tried her best to never frown because it caused wrinkles, something that she didn't posses. Nobody at the Shikon Salon actually knew Tsubaki's age. Most speculated that she was in her mid fifties, perhaps early sixties. The only clue to her age was the whiteness of her long hair. But other than that, there was no evidence proving that she was a day over twenty. Her skin was flawless, not a scratch nor a mark. There were no wrinkles anywhere on her youthful face.

Every other week without fail, Tsubaki would arrive at the Shikon Salon for a facial. She was a firm believer in constant therapy for her nearly flawless face. Not only did she receive facials but she also kept herself on a strict diet which included over ten glasses of water a day, to keep her body and face moisturized. She also purchased only the elite face products from Sweden, France, and once she even bought bottles of snow from Alaska, convinced that it would make her face appear even more youthful. Nothing was too expensive for the woman.

"I'm here!" Tsubaki rolled her eyes. Ayame had nearly broken the glass doors as she barged into the salon. Giving her a scrutinizing look Tsubaki commented dryly,

"You look like shit."

Ayame shot daggers at the elder woman and look ready to pounce on her and rip her apart piece by piece. Before she could do any such thing, she noticed Kaede staring at her. Turning so that she could get her boss into full view, Ayame swallowed her anger immediately. Kaede was daring her to do something stupid. Her eyes shot daggers into Ayame's. Instead of invoking the wrath of her boss, she decided it would be better to take out her anger on someone else...someone who wasn't a customer at the Shikon Salon. Someone who she could kill and then hide the lifeless body in a dumpster...

"Are you planning on making me wait any longer?" Tsubaki's impatient voice snapped Ayame out of her fantasy.

"Please, follow me." Ayame gave a forced smile and waited for her client to get up. Instead of allowing herself to be led, Tsubaki gave a small 'hmph' before walking away.

"I know where I'm going girl. I'll be ready in a few minutes. Don't keep me waiting." And with that Tsubaki headed towards Ayame's facial room without a backward glance.

Trying to suppress her rage, Ayame squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists. She tried to focus her mind on something pleasant and wonderful, anything to rid her mind of Tsubaki's leering, yet perfect face. Several seconds went by before Ayam decided to give up.

"I'm going to kill that woman someday," she mumbled heading in the direction where Tsubaki had walked off to.

* * *

"Dammit."

"What's wrong?" Sango briefly turned around in her swiveling chair to face Kagome. The girl was staring intently in a mirror, poking her face in various places. She was supposed to be sweeping hair off of the ground. Instead, she was holding the brush idly in one of her hands while peering at her reflection in a mirror. Apparently dissatisfied with her appearance she muttered,

"I got another zit."

"Probably from not showering for a week." Sango retorted before going back to painting her client's nails. She was so busy making sure that she applied the first coat evenly that she didn't notice the somewhat revolted look on her client's face after the comment about Kagome's hygiene

"Ugh. What can I do?"

'Well," Sango squinted as she realized that she'd smudged a bit of the polish onto the woman's finger, "I would ask Sesshomaru."

"Ask him what?" Kagome asked, puzzled.

"To borrow some of his cleanser."

'What? He uses that stuff?" Kagome stopped staring at her reflection to look at Sango.

"Sure. Why do you think he's never had a blemish on his face?"

Kagome nodded her head. That was true; the man never experienced pimples or bad hair days. He had to use some sort of product, there was no way he could be that good looking.

"Okay. I think I will, thanks Sango!"

Sango shrugged and continued working. Unlike Kagome, she had people expecting her to get her work done as quickly as possible. Most people getting their nails done were high maintenance enough to begin with. One small error or being one minute behind schedule was enough to drive almost any of her customers into a frenzy.

"You do realize you're going to have to start all over again, don't you?" The woman in front of her said offhandedly. Sango had just completed the last pinky, and looked up somewhat confused.

"What are you talking about, ma'am?"

"I mean," she commented with a great amount of arrogance, "that I clearly stated that I wanted Lovely Lavender nail polish to be used."

Looking down, Sango frowned at the woman's hands. Each nail was covered in shining, wet lavender paint.

"But this is Lovely Lavender."

"No." The woman reached over and grabbed a bottle on the table. It was right next to the empty space where the bottle Sango had used once sat. "This is Lovely Lavender. That was Lightly Lavender."

Sango took the bottle out of the woman's hand and inspected it carefully. There was absolutely no difference between the shade on her nails and the shade in the bottle.

"And you just realized it now?" Sango questioned as she grabbed the bottle of nail polish remover.

"No. I just figured you knew." The woman replied in a bored sort of way, extending one of her hands, whilst reading a gossip magazine.

* * *

"Um. Sesshomaru?" Kagome meekly approached the male hair dresser. He was patiently awaiting his next client, who was busy getting her hair washed. The stoic man did not acknowledge that he had heard her, but somehow Kagome knew he had his attention...somewhat.

"Uh, yeah I was wondering if you had any, um, stuff that you used for your face."

Still no response from the silver haired man, he was busy laying out his scissors in a neat row.

"You know, um cleanser or something?"

Sesshomaru remained quiet. Not even his breathing could be heard.

"Yeah well I was wondering if I could borrow some, um if that's okay."

The man reached into a drawer next to his chair and produced a small bottle. Extending it towards Kagome, he kept it in his hand, allowing her to take it. She hesitated before gently lifting it from the man's outstretched palm. As her hand came into contact with the man's, she suddenly became aware of how soft his hands felt. It was obvious he moisturized them a great deal.

"Thanks, um I'll see you around, I guess."

Without the slightest nod of his head or even shrug of his shoulder, Sesshomaru continued laying out his tools, ignoring the girl walking past him. He simply continued organizing.

"Hello Sesshomaru." A woman whose name he had never bothered to learn headed towards him. He nodded slightly and waited for her to seat herself in his hairstyling chair. Without saying a word, he grabbed one of his many scissors and held it over her head.

"I'd like my bangs trimmed a little more than we usually do. Is that alright?"

Sesshomaru gave another small nod before beginning to cut the woman's hair.

"So you remember that woman I told you about last time? You know the one with the frizzy hair and the stupid glasses. Well I heard from my boss's secretary that she actually..."

Sesshomaru ignored the chattering and continued to trim the woman's bangs. Sneaking a glance at a clock hanging on the wall, he shuddered slightly. In less than an hour...he would be cutting Sara's hair.

* * *

"Hello ladies!" Instantly Kaede had forgotten about the telephone conversation she was having.

"Please hold." She curtly demanded to the person on the other line. As quickly as she could, Kaede hobbled out of her chair and towards where the voice was coming from. Wondering how she could have possibly allowed the entrance of such a nuisance into the salon without her knowing.

"Ahhh!" The shrill scream only made Kaede move faster. If she didn't get to that boy soon he was liable to have harassed every customer and employee in the building.

Sure enough, she followed the sounds of the screams of females and quickly found herself face to face with a young man.

"Heh. Hello Kaede." He cocked his head and smiled at the elder woman. "What brings you here?"

"Miroku, what part of 'restraining order' do you not seem to understand?"

"I haven't gotten one here yet...have I?"

Kaede sighed and began rubbing her temples. The young man ignored the exasperated actions of the salon's boss.

"Let's see, last week it was the Village Salon. Tuesday...the salon next to that ice cream place...yesterday was the ice cream place..."

"Unfortunately I haven't issued a restraining order here, yet. Although I should."

"And that is why you are my favorite elderly woman...er...wait." Miroku tried fumbling around for some complimenting words to say to Kaede, but she cut him off.

"Must you come here everyday, harassing my employees and their customers?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it harassment..."

"Then what would you call it?" A new voice chimed in.

"Ho boy." Miroku rubbed the back of his neck with a hand and gave a weak grin. "Hello Sango."

Forgetting her lunch break, Sango angrily made her way towards the man. Kagome had been washing hair at a nearby sink and talking with the nail stylist. Now she watched intently as Sango approached the lecherous young man.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded angrily.

"Uh, just visiting my good friends at the Shikon Salon."

Kagome snorted at the preposterous comment while Sango rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh yeah, like who?"

"Um, well...Sesstomaru."

"You mean Sesshomaru?" Sango corrected.

"Yeah! Exactly."

"Uh huh. And why would you need to talk to him?"

"Because...I have very manly things to discuss with him."

"Yup, okay. Run along then."

"What?"

"You heard me, go talk to him." Sango prodded.

"Of course." Nervously smiling Miroku made his way towards the silver haired

man. Throughout the entire conversation, Sesshomaru had not done anything to show that he was aware of what was going on around him.

"Ouch! That hurts!" Kagome realized that the water was much to hot for the young child whose hair she was washing. She had been so interested in the scene unfolding before her that she had stopped paying attention to the young boy.

"I'm sorry," Kagome apologized, turning down the water's temperature, "is that better?"

"Yes, thanks."

Kagome continued washing the child's mop of messy red hair, doing her best not to get her fingers caught in the tangles. It amazed her that a boy could get his hair so tousled within the span of a few weeks. She was sure that if she tried, she could bury a fork in the sea of red.

Once she was sure that every bit of soap was out of his hair, Kagome gently lifted his head out of the sink and began rubbing it with a towel.

"You're very good at that, Kagome." The child commented.

"At what?" She replied absently, trying to hear what Miroku was saying to Sesshomaru while doing her best not to hurt the small boy's ears as she dried them.

"When my foster mom does this, she always rubs too hard. My ears always turn bright red, and it hurts."

"Well, I try my best, Shippo." Kagome gave the boy a quick smile, waiting for him to head off to get his hair cut. Before toddling off he beamed up at Kagome, flashing a giant grin. As he walked off, Kagome grabbed a nearby broom and began to sweep. Trying her best not to be too obvious, she began slowly sweeping her way towards where Sesshomaru and Miroku were talking.

* * *

"I can't believe I missed it." Ayame complained.

"Don't worry, it really wasn't that big a deal." Kagome assured her.

"So what happened?"

"Basically, Miroku gave a few pathetic attempts to get Sesshomaru talking..."

"And let me guess, our little chatterbox just wasn't in the mood? That's shocking." Ayame sarcastically replied.

"I know, right?" Kagome sighed and reclined slightly on the comfortable leather couch. The Shikon Salon's furniture was much better than her own. She was sure if she slept on one of their couches she wouldn't have so many back aches. Just as she was about to fall asleep, an annoyingly perky voice was booming in her ear.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty!"

"Ugh. Jakotsu...go away." Kagome grabbed one of the soft pillows and buried her head into it. She was not in the mood to deal with the salon's cross dresser hairdresser. It wasn't as though she was a homophobe, it was more like today she didn't feel like being subject to the ever energized attitude of Jakotsu.

"Oh come on. Up up up!" He encouraged, tugging on Kagome's arm. She attempted to swat him away with her other hand, but failed.

"What's up Jakotsu?" Ayame asked.

"Well, you gals are going to have to brace yourselves when I tell you the news."

"What news?" Kagome asked, her face still smothered in the pillow.

"We all have to stay late because Kaede is holding a very important meeting! Isn't that great?"

"No." Kagome mumbled her voice still muffled by the pillow.

"Optimism Kagome. Optimism!" And with that Jakotsu headed off, leaving the girls alone once again.

"What do you suppose that's all about?" Ayame wondered aloud. "Why would Kaede hold us after for a special meeting?"

Kagome's response sounded went something like "Nyah nyah nyah."

Ayame grabbed a fistful of Kagome's hair and yanked her upwards.

"I'm sorry what was that?"

"I said, 'I have no idea.'"

"Oh. Well, I better get back to work. I think an oatmeal mask would have hardened by now, don't you think?"

"Sure."

Ayame got up from the couch and headed back to her facial room. Watching her go, Kagome could not muster the strength to get up. It was only after she saw Jakotsu coming towards again her that she decided to get up and get back to work.


	3. The Advertisement From Hell

A/N: A bit of a cold has taken over...so needless to say I'm not in the chipperest of moods. Maybe some reviews would liven things up. Oh and if you haven't figured it out by now...I don't do disclaimers...I am obviously too cool for that!

Rumiko Takahasi sends her lawyers over

Heh...Did I say that? I meant...I don't own Inuyasha! heh...heh...

In any case...here ya go!

* * *

Sesshomaru inwardly shuddered as the black haired woman clung onto his arm. She stared up at him dreamily and purred,

"You know I would do anything for you, Sesshomaru."

"Then would you please face forward so that I may trim your hair?"

"Mmm, don't tease me, my love."

Sesshomaru didn't respond. He simply turned the chair so that the woman was facing the mirror. Although her arm was still latched onto his, he was now able to cut the woman's hair.

"What are you doing tonight, Sesshomaru?" The woman asked seductively.

At this exact moment, Jakotsu was walking by, actually more like skipping by.

"Hello Sara! Wow. That skirt is fabulous on you!"

"Thanks." Sara murmured absently, still expectantly waiting for Sesshomaru's answer.

"Oh, by the way Sesshomaru, we have a meeting after work, Kaede's holding it. Don't be late!" And with that, Jakotsu went off, and Sesshomaru internally leapt for joy.

"It seems as though my presence is needed elsewhere."

Sara pouted and let of Sesshomaru's arm. "Just hurry up. I'm already running late."

* * *

"Do you know what this meeting is all about?" Sango asked Kagome. The two of them were outside of the nearly empty salon. Sango was smoking a cigarette, while Kagome just stood next to her, keeping her company. 

"Not really." Kagome picked at a hangnail, trying to ignore the state of her chipped and broken cuticles.

"Jeez, Kagome, you need a manicure bad." Grabbing one of the younger girl's hands, Sango grimaced at the poor shape they were in.

Kagome snatched her hand back quickly. "Nah. I get really squeamish when it comes to people touching my nails," she lied.

"Are you sure? Because I could always give you a discount..."

"No, I'm sure."

Sango smoked her cigarette, and Kagome tried to stop an embarrassed flush from creeping into her cheeks. Of course she needed a manicure. But what was she going to do? It's not like she could afford one. And she would never ask Sango to give her one for less. She was not going to become some charity case.

"Hey. We better get inside." Sango commented.

"Yeah." Kagome absently nodded in agreement.

Every employee of the Shikon Salon was waiting for Kaede to begin speaking. She sat at her usual place, in front of the giant wooden desk, with everyone else seated on the many couches and chairs around her. The silence was unnerving; it was never quiet in the constantly busy salon. Yet nobody spoke. After what seemed like an eternity, Kaede cleared her throat and began to talk.

"Does anyone here read the newspaper?"

Puzzled by the strange question, nobody said anything, save for Jakotsu.

"I do!" He nearly shouted.

"I'm sure there are more of you. Raise your hands if you read the newspaper."

Hesitantly, the employees of the Shikon Salon raised their hands.

"Now, then can anyone tell me what was today's largest advertisement for?"

Again, the question caught everyone off guard, this time even Jakotsu. Kaede waited a few moments before tossing a newspaper onto the ground.

"Kagome, come up here and read this page." Kaede instructed.

Timidly, Kagome stood up and walked to where the paper lay on the ground.

Picking it up, she began to read the huge advertisement that covered an entire page.

"'Naraku's Beauty Spa...grand opening in three days.' " Kagome paused, looking up at Kaede to make sure she was reading the appropriate advertisement.

"Keep going." Kaede commanded.

"The address is...oh my God." Kagome gasped putting her hand against her mouth. She couldn't speak anymore, her voice had given out.

"Naraku's Beauty Spa is opening one street away from our salon." Kaede announced to everyone in the room.

"No! That's not possible." Sango argued. "They just opened another one a couple of towns away from here."

"And they put a nearby salon out of business there too." Ayame added.

For awhile no one said anything, the reality beginning to sink in. The newest, hottest, and most popular chain of beauty spas was opening right next to their small salon. And so far, every time that a new one opened, it put a smaller weaker competitor out of business. This was every salon owner's worst nightmare.

"And now you see why I called this meeting." Kaede paused, as if waiting for someone to say something. When she was greeted with nothing but silence, she cleared her throat and continued talking.

"I understand that some of you are very worried right now. And I want you to understand that yes, I am too. But I think we can win this. We have a lot of loyal customers whom I know will stay with us because they know us better."

"Yeah I bet that's what all the other salon owners said...right before they went outta business," Ayame muttered.

"Plus you have to admit, Kaede, we're not the most functional group of workers either." Sango chimed in.

"That's one of the reasons I called this meeting. I want to know if you would all prefer to give up now. Those of you who choose to leave, you will receive this month's pay. Anyone who would like to give up, please come forward now to receive your check."

Nobody spoke as the employee's of the salon watched to see who would claim their money first. Seconds turned into minutes, and still nobody had stood up.

"Then it's settled. If we go down, we go down fighting." And with that, Kaede stood up and hobbled out of her chair, signaling that everyone was free to leave.

* * *

The meeting had thoroughly depressed Ayame and Sango. Deciding that they needed a bit of cheering up, the two women agreed to meet later for a night on the town, hopefully a perfect solution to raise their dampened spirits. They had asked Kagome to join them, but she had turned down the offer. 

After Sango finished teaching her self defense class, she picked up Ayame at her house, and the two headed off to a local bar. Instead of sitting down, the two headed off towards the billiard tables, figuring a little friendly competition would cheer them up.

"I think Kagome's in trouble." Sango commented, chalking up her pool stick.

"What makes you say that?" Asked Ayame. Her one eye was closed as she tried to line up her short perfectly.

"She hasn't showered in a week."

"Really? Why not?"

"Her shower stopped working I guess. Hasn't been able to afford to get it repaired." Sango cursed as she sunk one of the wrong balls into a pocket.

"Can't she ask her mom for some money?"

"No. Her mom is almost as broke as she is." Sango responded.

Ayame scowled as she accidentally sunk the 8 ball. "Oh that's right. Doesn't she have a younger brother?"

"Mhmm," Sango racked up the pool balls to begin another game, "I guess she left home so that her mother wouldn't have another mouth to feed. Her brother is too young to get a job and then they also have her grandfather living with them."

"Jeez. So when did she leave?"

"When she was 18. Couldn't even afford to go to a beauty school to learn how to be a hairdresser. Luckily Kaede needed an extra hand around to do the odd jobs, so she let her work at the salon anyway."

"Isn't her mother upset?" Ayame stopped playing for a moment to look at Sango.

"She has no idea. Kagome lies to her mom, says she has some other kind of job. Sends her money too. Money she can't afford to give away."

"Damn." Ayame said sympathetically.

"I know. I offered to let her assist me in self defense classes...but she feels that it makes her a charity case and she won't do it." Sango shook her head and went back to playing pool. "If we go out of business, she's going to have a lot more problems."

"This is too depressing, let's get a drink."

And with that the two women abandoned the billiard tables and headed towards the bartender.

* * *

"Hah! You're delirious man." 

"Ginta I swear, it was her." Kouga insisted to the other man.

The two friends were driving home from a party they had attended. Ginta was completely smashed, so Kouga had offered to drive him home.

"Even if it was her, why do you care? You broke up with her when you had a crush on that other girl."

"So? That was ages ago, I'm sure she's forgiven me by now." Kouga insisted.

"Yeah right. She was so pissed off at you that night, she tried to kill you. Remember when she grabbed that butcher knife and came after you?" Ginta hiccupped and laughed, finding the memory to be very amusing.

"Shut up, idiot. Besides, it's not like I'm ever going to see her again."

"I can't believe she didn't recognize you." Ginta pointed out.

"She was in a hurry. Didn't even look up when I said her name." Kouga sighed and looked over at his drunk companion.

"Why did you drink half of a keg, Ginta?"

"Because I can." He hiccupped again before squinting ahead. "Hey, is that a squirrel?"

"Huh, where?" Kouga looked back at the road to see to women in front of him, running across the road.

"Shit!" Kouga cursed as he slammed on the breaks. The two women ahead of him had just noticed Kouga's car and screamed loudly, apparently too panicked to move. Luckily the car skidded and lurched to an abrupt halt inches away from the women ahead of him.

"You alright?" Kouga yelled as he opened the car door. Looking over at Ginta he muttered, "Stay here," before getting out and approaching the two pedestrians.

"Are either of you ladies hurt?" He asked, trying to get a better look at the two females. There were no streetlights around, and the only light was coming from his headlights, which kept flickering on and off. Ginta was finding it amusing to start the ignition and turn it off over and over again.

"We're fine." A calm voice replied. Kouga didn't recognize it at all, but the next one he heard, was very familiar.

"Eh...watch where you're going next time...asshole." A slurred voice shouted. Kouga knew that voice anywhere, slurred or not.

"Ayame?" He questioned, trying to get a better look at her.

"You know this guy?" The other woman questioned Kouga's ex girlfriend.

"Huh? I dun know nobody. Nuh uh."

"I'm her ex, Kouga."

"Sango." The other woman introduced herself. "Now if you'll excuse us." Sango was about to put Ayame's arm back over her shoulder so that she could better get her to the car when she went rigid against her.

"Ayame? What's wrong?"

Ayame said nothing but instead pulled away from Sango.

"You sonuvabitch!" And without further warning, she had hurled herself at the unsuspecting man.

* * *

Sesshomaru was completely focused on the television. His eyes never once left the screen. There were two men, sweating profusely and their breathing was labored and heavy. 

"Ok, just relax." One of the men on the television said. "Everything's going to be alright."

"Are you sure?" A younger and much more innocent looking man asked. "I've never done this sort of thing before."

Sesshomaru slowly closed his eyes and let his head tilt back.

"Well, there's a first time for everything." The elder man encouraged.

"If you say so," came the nervous response.

Sesshomaru let his hand stroke the white fur in his lap. It sent shivers of pleasure running down his spine.

"Just put it all the way in there. Mmm...that's good. Little more, got to make sure it's in good and deep."

Nearly purring, Sesshomaru began rubbing faster as a light sweat broke out on his forehead.

"I think it's all the way in."

"It seems like it's in there good. Sometimes you have to wiggle a little to be sure."

"Like this?"

"Yeah...just like that."

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. Horrified, Sesshomaru did his best

to keep his face unemotional as he stuffed the large white teddy bear he had been holding under his pillow and out of sight. He reached for the remote control and switched off the home improvement channel. The younger boy was still trying to replace a new doorknob as Sesshomaru clicked the 'off' button, and the screen went blank. Before drawing himself out of his bed, he made sure the white stuffed bear was completely out of sight.

Without bothering to see who it was, Sesshomaru opened the door, and immediately gave a slight frown when he saw who was at his entrance.

"P-please...help." The little girl barely managed to choke out before collapsing against the man's legs.


	4. Drunk, Drained, and Deranged

A/N: Chapter 4 is up! And today is Naruto's birthday! Everybody wish him a happy birthday!!! (For those of you who don't know, Naruto is an anime/manga that is really really cool about ninjas.) Check it out at narutofan )! You can only see the manga though if you sign up to be a member...so do it!

Please review and enjoy this next chapter! And forgive any errors...I did my best to edit!

* * *

It took every ounce of Sango's strength to hold Ayame back. The drunk woman was hissing and spitting like a mad hellcat as she struggled against the other woman's viselike grip around her waist. Kouga lay on the ground, stunned and dazed. Blood was dripping from his nose yet he made no move to stop the flow of red, sticky liquid.

"Let me at him! I swear to God I'll kill him!" Ayame sputtered trying to break her way out of Sango's hold. But spending all those hours teaching self defense classes had not gone to waste as Sango successfully restrained her angry and intoxicated friend,

"Calm down, Ayame. Just relax." Sango commanded.

"No! I'm not going to relax when this asshole's here!" Ayame practically threw herself onto the ground in another violent attempt to break free.

"Kouga, I think we should go now." Ginta began tugging on the other man's arm, trying to lead him back to the car. Yet even though his life was in possible danger, Kouga refused to even stand up. He remained seated on the pavement, staring at the wild redhead.

"I swear I'll kill him." Practically growling, Ayame got her nails within an inch of Kouga's face. Still, he refused to flinch of move back.

"Look. She's not gonna settle down anytime soon, boys. I strongly suggest you take off while you still have a chance." Sango suggested, still struggling to hold Ayame back.

"You heard her Kouga come on." And before Kouga could protest, Ginta had hoisted the man onto his feet and began tugging him along to the car. Ginta shoved Kouga into the driver's seat, slamming the door as soon as Kouga was halfway seated. Ginta jogged to the other side of the car, and crawled into the backseat, stretching out to lie down on the empty three seats.

Without knowing that he had done it, Kouga started the ignition and slowly began driving around the two women. He couldn't help but look back in the rearview mirror to see Ayame collapse in Sango's arms.

"Boy...I thought you were dead for sure, Kouga. And if a girl had killed you, huh...that woulda been pretty stupid wouldn't it?" Ginta laughed and waited for a response. None came.

"Hey Kouga, what's a matter?"

"Just shut up Ginta." Gritting his teeth, Kouga floored the gas pedal, speeding the entire way home.

* * *

Kagome trudged up the last flight of stairs to her apartment. She dragged her purse behind her, not caring that it was collecting all sorts of dust and dirt. The only thing she focused on was making it to her room. Nearly at her door, she reached a tentative hand towards the knob when a vibrating in her purse shook her from the dreamlike state she was lost in.

Absentmindedly she hoisted her purse up high enough so that she could grab the vibrating object. Surprised to discover it was her cell phone, Kagome checked the caller ID...and immediately grimaced when she read the number. For a moment she thought about hanging up or just letting the phone ring itself into silence. But then again, there was always voicemail...so either way she'd have to answer the call eventually.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome pressed the green button, accepting the call. Making sure her voice was steady, she paused a moment before saying,

"Hi, Mom."

"Kagome! It's so comforting to hear your voice." Her mother eagerly responded.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've tried your regular phone number plenty of times, but it kept saying that the line has been disconnected. So I figured I'd try your cell phone, just in case I had the wrong number or something. Is everything alright?"

Kagome cringed. How could she explain to her mother that her phone line had been cut off when she could not longer pay the monthly bill?

"Um, well I'm actually planning on moving soon. So the phone's not going to work until I'm moved into my new place." Kagome lied.

"Really? Closer to home I hope."

"No, actually it's even further away from where I am now." Silently she prayed that her mother wouldn't figure out she was lying.

"Oh. Well, why the sudden change?" Her mother inquired innocently.

"Uh..." Kagome hadn't quite thought about why she was going to 'move'. Thinking fast, she thought of the first thing that came to her mind.

"Well...you see Mom...I got a huge raise recently. And I wanted to celebrate by moving to a bigger apartment."

"Oh that's great honey! I'm so proud of you!" Kagome felt awful. Her mother's sincere enthusiasm was painful to listen to. If she ever found out about Kagome's real living conditions, she was pretty sure it would break her mother's heart.

"Yeah, in fact, I'm going to send even more money to you guys."

"Oh sweetie, don't do that! You deserve a little spending money. After all, you worked very hard to get that raise. The least you deserve is a couple of new outfits."

"Mom, you know I have plenty of money. It's no trouble at all." Kagome suddenly realized how many minutes she had just eaten up. No doubt she was going to go over her cell phone budget. She needed to end this conversation as quickly as possible.

"Okay Mom, well I'll talk to you later. I'm going to bed soon, busy day tomorrow, you know?"

"Alright. But do keep in touch Kagome. We love hearing from you. In fact, I bet Souta would very much enjoy talking to you right now. And Grandpa wants to speak with you as well." Kagome bit her bottom lip. There was no way she could afford to stay on the phone that long.

"Mom, look, I'll call soon I promise. But right now, I really have to go. As soon as my new phone gets hooked up I'll call you."

Before her mother could argue Kagome ended the call and let out a huge sigh. She groaned and slumped against the wall behind her, allowing herself to sink down to the floor. If there was one thing she hated doing, it was lying to her family. She hated pretending that she was successful, that she had no problems affording her apartment, and that money came in by the boatloads everyday. Each time she had a conversation with her mother, new lies were created to cover-up old ones. Kagome was tired of lying, tired of making up stories, tired of barely being able to support herself, yet still sending inordinately large amounts of money to her family as often as she could.

Sighing, Kagome slowly got to her feet. She felt lifeless and dead tired. All she wanted to do was curl up and sleep. Ignoring the fact that it was still early in the evening, she collapsed onto her couch, spreading herself across the worn piece of furniture. She kicked off her shoes, and grabbed her blanket off of the floor. Not caring that she was still in her clothes from work, Kagome curled up into as comfortable a position as she could manage before quickly falling asleep.

She had been so distracted and concerned about getting to sleep that she had not noticed the pink piece of paper taped to her door.

* * *

Sesshomaru simply stared at the child slumped against his legs. She was barely to his ankles, and her frail body felt more like a pillow propped against him more than anything else. From a cursory glance she appeared to have several bruises on her face and arms, yet there were probably many more to be found after closer inspection. Her pale skin was dappled with brilliant blues, a single stream of red was trickling down the side of her head.

The tall man was at a loss for what to do, a position that he usually did not find himself in. On the one hand, he could leave the girl at the front of his door, and pretend as though he had never seen her before. On the other hand, he could take her inside and care for her injuries. While the latter was something Sesshomaru would never have been expected to do, he surprised even himself by lifting the girl up and carrying her into his apartment.

Her weight was so slight that it took Sesshomaru almost no effort to carry her to the bed where he had been previously petting his stuffed toy, and watching the home improvement channel. Laying her on her back, he carefully inspected her injuries, trying his best not to poke her too much. Not sure why he was taking such care with a small child her barely knew, Sesshomaru left the room to get some frozen rice in his freezer to administer to some of her fresher bruises.

Sesshomaru was gone for perhaps half of a minute, maybe less. However, when he returned from fetching the frozen rice package, he discovered that the girl was no longer on the bed. At first he wondered if she had rolled off, so he checked the sides of the bed, and then underneath in case she had continued rolling. When he could not find her, he wondered if she had panicked and bolted for the door. Yet, how was that possible when he had heard no door open?

When he heard growling, Sesshomaru suddenly realized where the girl had gone. She was near his two pitbulls, Ah and Un, who just happened to be extremely hostile towards strangers. Without understanding what was happening, something snapped inside Sesshomaru. He had to get to that girl before his dogs did. His only concern was getting her to safety.

Frozen rice forgotten, Sesshomaru sprinted towards where he heard the growling coming from. In record time, he was standing in front the bathroom's entrance, out of breath and almost frantic. The dogs were in the bathroom, but he couldn't see the girl. Where was she?

"Ah!" Sesshomaru heard the girl shriek and hurtled forward, nearly crashing into the opposite wall. Managing to stop himself, he quickly turned around, and spotted a clump of dark hair. He reached for it, and dragged it towards him. Instead of a gruesome and bloody mess of flesh that he expected to find, Sesshomaru saw that the girl was unharmed by the dogs. In fact, she was smiling and looking up at the man.

"I like your doggies." She giggled.

Sesshomaru did not answer, instead he frowned disdainfully. Why had he chased after the girl? And why had he felt so protective over her, a child he didn't even know?

Silently he carried her back to the bed, and sat her down on the edge of it. The dogs followed behind him, their tails wagging, eager to find their new playmate. Sesshomaru ignored both the girl and the dogs, simply tossing the frozen rice at the child, leaving her to her own devices. If she wanted to ice her injuries, she could do so. It was none of his concern, anyway.

* * *

Yes I KNOW it's shorter than usual but hey, I didn't wanna drag it out because I honestly had nothing better to write...heh...heh...don't kill me runs off and hides


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